OCTOPUS CINEMA has brought a new pocket-sized Super 16 cinema camera, called OCTOPUS16, estimated to cost less than $1,000. Before you get excited, this camera is still in the prototype stage, however, the company has been using it for some time. .
There are very few main points about the camera’s art from the specs lately, however, what we do know is that it will have physical dimensions of 80 x 80 x 50mm / 3. 14 x 3. 14 x 1. 96″ and weigh less than 400g. 0. 88 lbs. There’s not a lot of footage to gauge the quality of the camera, but the few short clips released at least give you an idea of what to expect.
The camera is very small and it features a built-in LCD screen with touchscreen controls. It has an interchangeable lens mount that also supports MFT lenses with the use of an adapter, but the native mount is a CS-mount so you can use very readily available and affordable small sized lenses. Currently the camera needs be powered via a USB-C power bank, but eventually the plan is to have a dedicated Sony NP-F battery plate.
It can record internally to a CFexpress type B card and can also optionally output a signal via HDMI. It has a Thunderbolt or USB-C output so you can download directly to a computer.
The OCTOPUS16 will have a true 16-bit sensor readout and will be able to record internally in 4K RAW (CDNG). They overclocked a 4 Raspberry Pi compute module to handle 12-bit 4K RAW with liquid heat pipes for effective silence and cooling.
Above, you can see some verification footage of a prototype of the OCTOPUS16 that was filmed late last year.
In May 2022, OCTOPUS CINEMA hinted that an S16 camera may be in the works, stating, “Aqua with wonderful equipment from beyond is a step in creating wonderful equipment for the future. “
Although Super 16 is still a niche and I think the OCTOPUS16 has a chance of being very successful, especially if they can bring it to market for less than $1,000.
Now, if you are not familiar with OCTOPUS CINEMA, they have been around for quite a few years now will the sole intent of making open platform cameras that feature removable and upgradable parts. Back in June 2019 I first reported about the company.
The company has worked on many cameras, adding the OCTOPUSCAMERA 8K LF. The market for cameras with large sensors is difficult to penetrate, so it’s not unexpected that OCTOPUS CINEMA has turned in another direction.
It had a 7920 x 6004 (47. 5 megapixel), 36. 4 x 27. 6 mm (45 mm diagonal) global shutter sensor and could record:
The recordings can be done in camera as compressed 8K 12-bit RAW or externally in lossless 8K 12-bit RAW or 4K 14-bit RAW to a Thunderbolt SSD.
This camera has yet to hit the market and it remains to be seen if it ever does.
In 2019, Octopus Cinema will run on two other versions of OCTOPUS CAMERA. One will use a 5K full-frame sensor and the other a 4/3″ 4K sensor.
Below you can learn more about the concept of those cameras, giving you a greater understanding of the company and what it is looking to achieve. You can also read an interview I did in 2019 with Russell Newman, the lead engineer/founder. from Pulpo Cinema.
Unlike many virtual cinema cameras, OCTOPUS CAMERA is linked to a single symbol sensor. In contrast, the camera supports a variety of symbol sensor modules from other sensor module manufacturers. Currently, the main developer of sensor modules is a company called XIMEA. , which specializes in imaging modules.
Not being tethered to a specific sensor is a very attractive concept, and while most camera brands are very reluctant to reveal where their sensors come from, Octopus Cinema turns out to be very upfront about the sensors their cameras will use.
The current prototype cameras will use XIMEA’s 1.1-inch and Full Frame image sensor modules. XIMEA provide a range of high-performance imaging modules which can be interchanged allowing the OCTOPUS CAMERA to have a fully upgradable image sensor.
Available specialized sensors come with specs such as 35mm full frame, global shutter, local monochrome, and much more.
Out of the box, the OCTOPUS CAMERA records lossless 12-bit compressed 4K RAW in CinemaDNG format. For longer recording times, the camera records high-speed (900 Mbit) 10-bit HEVC.
All sensors are capable of generating lossless 12-bit RAW fully compressed at 4K at 30fps. 10-bit HEVC and lossy RAW allow for higher frame rates depending on the sensor. Additional recording formats can be added using the Libavcodec SDK or third-party libraries. .
When it comes to recording media, the camera has SSD and CFast 2. 0 features SATA III and USB3 ports connected to the main board.
The camera measures just 110 x 110 x 110mm, and it weighs in at 900g. It is made out of CNC Milled Aluminium in a gloss white finish. It is designed and assembled in London, UK.
I reached out to Russell Newman, the lead engineer and founder of Octopus Cinema, to ask him a few questions about the cameras.
Q. How long have you been running the camera?The camera has been in progression in one form or since early 2018.
Q. What was the inspiration behind the creation of Octopus?I have a background in three-dimensional graphics and software engineering, and I’ve had a keen interest in film technology – until recently, I owned almost every single Blackmagic Design camera on the market. The good fortune of Blackmagic and projects like La Digital Bolex made me realise that the days of professional-quality footage reserved for £10,000-plus Sony cameras would soon be over.
Q. With so many virtual cinema cameras already on the market, what makes Octopus different?I think the open nature of the product sets it apart from the rest: all parts are documented and need to be updated or replaced. In addition, some symbol sensor features/options are also difficult to place among other products, namely monochrome/local IR functions and global shutter.
Q. What features and specifications does Octopus offer? In terms of recording, the camera records lossless in 12-bit 4K RAW at up to 30fps and up to 60fps with 10-bit HEVC. However, it is a fundamental starting point. We would like to create a network to expand further. features that can be had in an open source environment.
For example, HEVC encoding uses the libavcodec library, which is a component of the ffmpeg library. We can then upload to encode all edited formats via ffmpeg, as long as they are effective and robust enough.
The sensors we need right now are 1. 1-inch (4K) and Full Frame (5K) sensors. These are global shutters with color and monochromatic variants. Dynamic diversity is between 12 and 13 steps.
Will the camera have audio functions and projects for some kind of module that is SDI/Timecode, etc. ?”The camera frame has four USB3 ports that we intend to use for virtual audio recording and for new add-ons, i. e. third-party, third-party, or growth.
We may simply load an SDI output into a separate module connected to USB3, but at the moment the device only natively supports two HDMI2. 0 outputs.
Timecodes can be added to third-party products that can receive/send USB timecode data: http://www. ese-web. com/es71. htm
Our purpose would be to preserve those products if they were on many people’s wish lists.
Timecodes can be added to third party products that can receive/send USB timecode data: http://www. ese-web. com/es71. htm
Our purpose would be to preserve those products if they were on many people’s wish lists.
For USB audio recording, operators can choose from high-end box recorders, USB audio devices, direct USB microphones, or a discrete XLR-to-USB interface device such as: https://www. amazon. co. uk/Shure – Adapter-Integrated-Monitoring-Headset-x/dp/B001PPXFAG
We believe USB audio recording is a solution because it postpones A/D conversion to remote, dedicated audio hardware.
Q. When do you hope to have Octopus available to purchase?We are looking to have the 1.1-inch model available by Q3 2020.
According to Octopus Cinema, with the festival expanding into the cinema camera market, the main goal of OCTOPUS CAMERA is to fill a gap in the market where users want an express product for an express application. These shortcuts come with local monochrome sensor images and a fully open SDK to extend and integrate the traditional habit into the camera.
The camera is geared to compete with most other virtual cinema cameras already on the market.
A for professionals working in the television and film industry.
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